Recoil-operated multiple barrel gun



Jan. l, 1963 w. D. McTHoMAs 3,071,043

REcoIL-OPERATED MULTIPLE BARREL GUN Filed Sept. 17, 195'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 1, 1963 w. D. MoTHoMAs RECOIL-OPERATED MULTIPLE BARREL GUN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1957 KUOJZD INVENTOR. Williuml- MnTl-lnmu BY ueawwmw u 3,071,043 Patented Jan. I, 1963 tice 3,071,043 REClL-OPERATED MULTIPLE BARREL GUN William D. Mc'lhomas, Arlington Heights, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Sept. 17, 1957, Ser. No. 684,623 1 Claim. (Cl. 89--12) My invention relates 'to an automatic gun with a cage provided with a plurality of symmetrically-disposed barrels and disposed for continu-ous rotation While ring and more particularly to such a gun in which the barrels are recoilable for operation of the gun.

It is an object of my invention to provide a multiple barrel gun powered by recoil operation of the barrels.

Another object of my invention is to provide a firing device for such a gun.

A further object of my invention is to provide the gun with a tiring device provided with a cam mechanism for rotation of the cage.

A still further object of my invention is to provide such a tiring device with a cam mechanism for slidable operation of the barrels responsive to the rotation.

An additional object of my invention is to provide such a firing device with carriages including bolts in axial alignment with the barrels rotatably disposed for locked engagement therewith disposed for axial slidable operation responsive to the rotation.

An added object of my invention is to provide the tiring device with a cam mechanism for rotation of the bolts responsive to the rotation.

Other aims and objects of my invention will appear from the following description.

ln carrying out my invention, a gun having a plurality of barrels symmetrically disposed in a rotatable cage for axially slidable operation is provided with a tiring device including axially slidable carriages with bolts in axial alignment with the barrels for retaining cartridges therein in an 4axial firing position thereof.

The firing device includes a cam mechanism with a cam in the receiver of the gun and rollers respectively disposed on the barrels for rotation of the cage responsive to recoil of the barrels.

A cam in continuous relation with the rotation cam is provided for engagement with the rollers for axial operation of the barrels responsive to the rotation.

The bolts are provided with interrupted threads for cngagement with corresponding threads in the respective barrels of the bolts and the barrels for the discharge and 4the tiring device includes a cam in the receiver and sprockets for engagement therewith disposed on the respective bolts for rotating the bolts to and from the position for the engagement responsive to the rotation.

For a more complete understanding of my invention, reference is directed to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational View in section of a gun incorporating my invention and showing one barrel at its tiring station with the bolt and barrel locked;

FIG. 2 is a view along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view along line 3-3 of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a view along line 4--4 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged developed view of the receiver with the barrel and carriage cam including an arrow showing direction of rotation of the barrels.

Accordingly, a gun 12 includes a housing 14 with trunnions 16 for pivotal engagement in a mount 17. A receiver 18 is biased to a normal position in housing 14 by recoil springs 19 and the receiver includes trunnions 29 axially slidable in mount 17.

A cage 22 includes a shaft 24 journaled in receiver 18 and radial bearings 26 and thrust bearings 28 are disposed between the cage and the receiver.

Barrels 30 for chambening cartridges 32 and carriages 34 in respective axial alignment with the barrels are axially slidable in cage 22 in symmetrical relation with shaft 24.

Bolts 36 having la cartridge gripping face 36a for gripping cases 38 of cartridges 32 are disposed for rota- -tion in carriages 34 and the bolts and barrels 3d 4are provided with interrupted internal threads 44) for locked engagement with external interrupted threads 40a on bolts 36 -to retain the cartridges in the barrels for discharge. Cage 22 is provided with stations for the barrels corresponding thereto including a tiring station for the discharge and the barrels are respectively provided with axially-intermediate iiring positions 41 for the discharge (see FIGURE 5).

A cam 42 is disposed in receiver 18 and radial rollers 44 are respectively disposed on barrels 30 for engagement with cam 42. Barrels 30 are disposed for recoil responsive to the discharge. Carriages 34 are disposed for engagement therewith for displacement to respective rearward positions, and cam 42 is disposed for successive displacement of barrels 30 to the corresponding stations, responsive to the recoil.

A bolt cam 46 is disposed in receiver 18 and the sprockets 48 and 43a are respectively disposed on the rearward ends of bolts 36 for rotation thereof from the locked firing position responsive to the displacement. Carriage cam 5t) is disposed in receiver 18 for engagement with radial rollers 52' respectively disposed on carriages 34 to retain each of the carriages in the rearward positions during discharge in the following barrels and return the carriages to barrel engagement responsive to discharge in the second following barrels.

As seen in FIGURES l and 2, sprockets 48 and 48a are engaged by cam 46 to lock and unlock bolts 36 in barrels 30.

Cam 46 is further provided with interrupted portions 46a and 46b to provide a dwell in the rotation of bolts 36 When a bolt 36 is in its locked, or firing, position or when a barrel 30 is in its full forward position for chambering.

Barrel cam 42 is disposed to displace the barrels to forward positions responsive to discharge in the next succeeding barrels and to return the barrels to the tiring posit-ions responsive to discharge in the second succeeding barrels for chambering the cartridges.

Cases 38 are ejected from bolts 36 by faces 36a and cartridges 32 are loaded therein by loading mechanisms (not shown) substantially at the time of discharge in the second succeeding barrels.

Bolt cam 46 is disposed to rotate the bolts tothe locked positions responsive to discharge of the cartridges in the third succeeding barrels.

In FIGURE 5, the rotation of the barrel rollers 44 in cam 42, and the rotation of the carriage rollers 52 in cam 50 is diagrammatically shown. The firing station is indicated by 41.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claim is intended to include such variations.

I claim:

A recoil powered gun comprising, in combination, a cylindrical housing, a cylindrical receiver slidably mounted in said housing, recoil springs in said housing biasing said receiver towards a normal position in said housing, trunnions on said housing, a mount for said gun, said mount receiving said trunnions for pivotally supporting said gun, an axial shaft in said receiver, a cage rotatably mounted on said shaft in said receiver, .a plurality of gun barrels symmetrically arranged about said shaft and axially slidable in said cage, there being a series of [interrupted internal threads in the breech end of eachbarrel, a radially disposed roller mounted on each barrel, a plurality of carriages, corresponding in number to said barrels, slidably mounted on said shaft and arranged in axial alignment with said barrels, Ia radially disposed roller mounted yon each barrel, a bolt rotatably mounted in each carriage, each bolt including `a forward portion having a cartridge gripping portion on its forward face and external interrupted threads for mating with said internal interrupted threads in each barrel, a pair of axially aligned sprockets on the rearward end of each bolt, a rst cam mechanism in the internal peripheral surface of said receiver and rearward of said barrels, said rst cam mechanism including a carriage portion for receiving said radial rollers on said carriages and a barrel cam portion for receiving said radial rollers on said barrels, said carriage cam portion having a portion for the dwell of said carriages in the forward position and said barrel cam portion including a portion for successive operation of said barrels to a forward position and a dwell portion for chambering of cartridges into said barrel and extraction of cartridges therefrom responsive to rotation of said cage, said carriage cam portion and said barrel cam portion merging at both ends into a single portion wherein said barrels are in a tiring station in said cage and wherein said bolts in said carriages are locked by said interrupted threads on said bolts and said carriages, and a second cam mechanism separate from said first cam mechanism disposed rearwardly of said bolts in said receiver adapted to engage said pair of sprockets on the end of each bolt and to rotate said sprockets and said bolts to lock and unlock said bolts in said barrels when said barrels have reached their full rearward position upon recoil thereof, there being a pair of interrupted portions in said second cam for preventing rotation of said bolts when in said locked position and in full forward position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 592,185 Gatling July 25, 1893 698,472 Driggs Apr. 29, 1902 2,849,921 Otto Sept. 2, 1958 

